A couple of days ago I posted a diaryabout Cain’s 9-9-9/9-0-9 plan and his empowerment / opportunity zones and the possible connection of those ideas to ALEC. I have no intentions of voting for him or any of the Repugs, so I haven’t been really following his political campaign. And most of the times when people start talking politics – I mostly listen and don’t contribute anything, because I know what I believe and I know that when it comes to politics – people believe what they want to believe – so I just listen. Well anyhoo - I decided to do a little further research on him and found some interesting stuff.
First I found this:
Around Christmas of 2010, Herman Cain wrote an article discussing the work of Jesus Christ. He stated that Jesus Christ was able to assist the poor and do numerous public works without the use of expansive government programs.
He helped the poor
… ... more without one government program. He healed the sick without a government health care system. He feed the hungry without food stamps. And everywhere He went, it turned into a rally, attracting large crowds, and giving them hope, encouragement and inspiration.
For three years He was unemployed, and never collected an unemployment check. Nevertheless, he completed all the work He needed to get done. He didn’t travel by private jet. He walked and sailed, and sometimes traveled on a donkey.
But they made Him walk when He was arrested and taken to jail, and no, He was not read any Miranda Rights. He was arrested for just being who He was and doing nothing wrong. And when they tried Him in court, He never said a mumbling word.
He didn’t have a lawyer, nor did He care about who judged Him.
His judge was a higher power.
The liberal court found Him guilty of false offences and sentenced Him to death, all because He changed the hearts and minds of men with an army of 12.
His death reset the clock of time
Having been, at one time of my life, offered a full boat scholarship to one of the leading Lutheran private colleges in the US – I saw so much wrong with his thinking in this statement. I thought to myself – this guy is an absolute whack job – what are his issues, really????? And boy was I in for a surprising journey into Cainland.
I didn’t have to go far before I started seeing the ALEC connections. These excerpt from articles got me started.
Gordon was named chief spokesman for the Herman Cain for president campaign. … Gordon is also a partner at the DC consulting firm that manages the United States operations of Atlantic Bridge.
(An excellent diary by Kossack Bob Sloan will give you more background on ALEC and Atlantic Bridge)
A consistent theme of the Herman Cain campaign is the need to put big business even more in charge of government. Cain has said if he becomes president, he will literally place the CEO of Shell Oil at the helm of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(Shell being affiliated with ALEC.)
Cain’s support for a national voter ID law is just a small part of a larger right-wing campaign against voting rights, … Perhaps most prevalent, however, have been GOP attempts to implement photo ID laws. They have enjoyed success in seven states thus far, thanks in large part to model legislation from the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council.
Cain was particularly effective during the 1996 fight over the minimum wage. … however, Cain was determined not to see server’s wage increase in conjunction for the first time ever. And that's exactly what happened.
And I knew ALEC has lots of “model legislation” specifically for that
ALEC - Prevailing Wage Repeal Act
Summary
This act repeals all laws that require administratively determined employee compensation rates, including wages, salaries and benefits.
ALEC - Living Wage Mandate Preemption Act
Summary
The Living Wage Mandate Preemption Act repeals any local “living wage” mandates, ordinances or laws enacted by political subdivisions of the state.
ALEC - Starting (Minimum) Wage Repeal Act
Summary
The Starting (Minimum) Wage Repeal Act repeals all starting (minimum) wage laws and preempts localities from enacting further laws that would attempt to establish a starting wage.
ALEC - Resolution in Opposition to any Increase in the Starting (Minimum) Wage
Summary
The Resolution in Opposition to Any Increase in the Starting (Minimum) Wage recognizes that increasing the starting (minimum) wage is counterproductive.
So then I decided to go look at Cain “issues” pages from his webpage and from The Political Guide and here’s what I found.
The following Cain quotes and excerpts about his political beliefs are from The Political Guide
The Constitution’s 10th Amendment provides states the ability to check the irresponsible or impotent activities of Congress. Given the reluctance in Congress to fix our biggest problems or even admit some problems exist, our right as citizens to shape and influence legislation in our 50 statehouses is one we must all exercise.
ALEC - Resolution Reaffirming Tenth Amendment Rights
NOW THEREFOR~ BE IT RESOLVED that { Insert State} hereby cla1ms sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Const1tutton of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution shall serve notice to the federal government of our demand to maintain the balance of powers where the Constitution of the United States established tt; Herman Cain strongly opposes the Employee Free Choice Act, and has written numerous articles expressing his belief that the legislation is nothing more than payback to unions by Democrats …
ALEC - Resolution Calling for the Congress of the United States to Call a Constitutional Convention Pursuant to Article V of the United States Constitution to Propose a Constitutional Amendment Permitting Repeal of any Federal Law or Regulation by Vote of Two-Thirds of the State Legislatures
WHEREAS, Article I of the United States Constitution begins "All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress"; and WHEREAS, the Congress has exceeded the legislative powers granted in the Constitution thereby encroaching on the powers that are "reserved to the states respectively, or to the people" as the Tenth Amendment affirms and the rights "retained by the people" to which the Ninth Amendment refers;
Herman Cain also supports merit pay for teachers who have good results, and more evaluation of teachers who have lower performing results. He also supports greater school choice for students, vouchers, and charter schools.
In a 2001 “ALEC Issue Analysis” entitled “The Merits of Paying Teachers for Performance” they note:
ALEC’s Report Card on American Education reveals that of the ten states with the highest teacher salaries in 1998-99, six were ranked in the bottom half of states on overall academic achievement.5 The reality is clear: simply increasing teacher salaries across the board, irrespective of performance does not lead to improving the quality of education for America’s children. … Linking pay to performance may also provide the right incentive for ineffective teachers to improve their methods, to the benefit of their students.
In an ALEC publication, “The State Factor” from 1992 titled "The Cost of Failing Public Schools - The Voucher Remedy" they note
Educational vouchers have the potential to revolutionize education by instilling competition among schools, thereby spurring innovations that will reduce costs while raising performance. This issue paper provides a summary of voucher programs and a review of action being taken in the states.
ALEC also has An Act for charter schools (and lots of acts for school vouchers, proposing them for almost every kind of student you will find in a public school)
ALEC - Charter Schools Act Summary
This legislation allows groups of citizens to seek charters from the state to create and operate innovative, outcome-based schools. These schools would be exempt from state laws and regulations that apply to public schools. Schools are funded on a per-pupil rate, the same as public schools. Currently, Minnesota operates the most well-known program.
Mr Cain does not believe in man-made global warming. He has stated that there has been no proven that global warming is a crisis. He opposed the cap-and-trade legislation, calling it nothing more than a tax scheme.
ALEC has two entire reports that they disseminated to their member on this named: Energy, Environment, AND Economics: A Guide for State Legislators, The Fifth Edition - June 2007 and the EPA’s Regulatory Train Wreck: Strategies for State Legislators - 2011.
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Resolution in Opposition to EPA’s Regulation of Greenhouse Gases from Mobile Sources
.Whereas, the alleged harms found by the Supreme Court cannot reasonably be “anticipated to endanger public health or welfare”1 as required by § 202 of the Clean Air Act (§ 202 regulates emissions from new vehicles):
* The rise in carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases is not linked to a
decline in welfare or public health—indeed, quite the opposite
is true.
And in different ALEC publications you find statements like these:
To increase regulatory flexibility, government should replace source-specific technology and performance standards with an industry-wide or regional “cap-and-trade” program.
The point isn’t necessarily that the United States is doing better than Europe, but that Europe’s cap-and-trade program isn’t reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
ALEC members have actively opposed “Cap and Trade” legislation as a costly expansion of federal power that will plague America’s economy with fraud, waste and inefficiency.
The following item is from Issues2000
CAIN: I do believe that the states should have the right. I believe in right-to-work, and I hope that N.H. is able to get it passed. And I agree with the speaker and the others who believe that if the federal government continues to do the kinds of thing that this administration is trying to do through the back door, through the National Labor Relations Board, that's killing our free market system, which made this economy great. And we have to keep the free market system strong.
ALEC - Right to Work Act
Summary
ALEC's model Right to Work Act provides that no employee need join or pay dues to a
union, or refrain from joining a union, as a condition of employment. The Act establishes
penalties and remedies for violations of the Act's provisions.
The rest of these are from Cain’s campaign issues webpage.
It’s time to institute legitimate tort reforms that let doctors practice medicine without fear of frivolous lawsuits. Loser pay laws would be a great start!
ALEC has an entire reports that they disseminated to their member on this named: The State Legislator’s Guide: Tort Reform Boot Camp (2011)
It is time to admit the mistakes, and get the federal government out of the way. This will allow states, cities, churches, charities and businesses to offer a helping hand instead of a handout where they live. People closest to the problems are the best ones to solve the problems effectively.
And ALEC had something to say about that too in Inside ALEC | April 2010
DIRECT QUOTE p.13
“I have proposed one such proposal, based on ALEC model legislation, which creates a new Council on Efficient Government comprised of private sector experts to review all functions and activities provided by state agencies to see whether they duplicate services provided by the private sector or nonprofit organizations. … One major benefit of working with nonprofits is that much of their human capital and service delivery is provided with volunteers.
And about his 9-9-9 or 9-0-9 tax rate – well ALEC has legislation for that
ALEC - Flat Tax Option Act
Summary
The cost of tax compliance in the United States is staggering. Individuals and businesses waste millions of dollars each year complying with state and federal income tax codes, which contain countless deductions, credits, exemptions and exclusions. As a response to this staggering burden, ALEC developed the Personal and Business Flat Tax Act, which simplified a state’s income tax by providing for a broad based, low rate income
ALEC - Personal and Business Flat Tax Act
Summary
This Act establishes a single, flat-rate tax on personal and business income. Though the ultimate flat tax on income is 0% or no income tax at all, if an income tax is imposed, a flat rate system is much preferable to a progressive rate structure. Currently, fourteen states have either a 0% tax on income or a flat rate tax on income.
ALEC - Resolution Calling upon the United States Congress to Enact Legislation to revise the Internal Revenue Code to Levy a Single Rate Tax, such as a Flat Tax
Summary
The current federal income tax system is economically destructive and inconsistent with the principles of a free society. Most economists and accountants agree that the current code is needlessly complex, and discourages savings, investment, economic growth and job creation. This resolution calls upon the U.S. Congress to replace the current income tax system with a single rate tax system
So where does he stand in relation to ALEC’s mission?
Here’s ALEC
The mission of the American Legislative Exchange Council is...
...to advance the Jeffersonian principles of free markets, limited government, federalism, and individual liberty, through a nonpartisan public-private partnership of America's state legislators, members of the private sector, the federal government, and general public.
And a generic definition for those of you who might want it
Free Enterprise
Definition: Business governed by the laws of supply and demand, not restrained by government interference, regulation or subsidy. also called free market.
And here it is from Cain’s mouth or campaign webpage.
HERMAN CAIN: "The president, unfortunately, has no clue, with all due respect, of what creates jobs: right to work states, lower taxes, lower regulations, no government mandates."
This means across-the-board tax cuts to provide long-term relief, including reducing the capital gains tax, suspending taxes on repatriated profits and permanently eliminating the death tax.
… but private industry must take the lead for true innovation to be a bigger part of our future energy needs
… Alleviating the burdens of cumbersome regulation would be an immediate boost for our weakened economy. … And ultimately, the free market, aided in part by the watchful eyes of investors and consumers, will regulate itself.
… The majority of Americans agree: it’s time to repeal and replace Obamacare with patient-centered, free market reforms
And do we know who Cain's ALEC mentor was?
This excerpt is from the National Review
Herman Cain, a rising GOP presidential contender, tells National Review Online that meeting the late Jack Kemp was the major turning point in his political life.
"Kemp, the Republican vice-presidential nominee in 1996, first met Cain, then the chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza, at an Omaha airport terminal in 1994, “
“He helped me to focus in on the power of the free-market system,” Cain says, as we chat in his hotel room, a few blocks from Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom conference. “Growing up in corporate America, I was in the middle of it. I didn’t step back and analyze it. He helped me to realize that it [free market system] was under attack; he helped me to recognize the grenades that were being thrown at the free-market system; he helped to realize, and even study, how tax rates being too high was a negative against the free-market system.”
From the ALEC History Page
More than 30 years ago, a small group of state legislators and conservative policy advocates met in Chicago to implement a vision: A nonpartisan membership association for conservative state lawmakers who shared a common belief in limited government, free markets, federalism, and individual liberty. Their vision and initiative resulted in the creation of a voluntary membership association for people who believed that government closest to the people was fundamentally more effective, more just, and a better guarantor of freedom than the distant, bloated federal government in Washington, D.C.
At that meeting, in September 1973, state legislators, including then Illinois State Rep. Henry Hyde, conservative activist Paul Weyrich, and Lou Barnett, a veteran of then Gov. Ronald Reagan's 1968 presidential campaign, together with a handful of others, launched the American Legislative Exchange Council. Among those who were involved with ALEC in its formative years were: Robert Kasten and Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin; John Engler of Michigan; Terry Branstad of Iowa, and John Kasich of Ohio, all of whom moved on to become governors or members of Congress. Congressional members who were active during this same period included Senators John Buckley of New York and Jesse Helms of North Carolina, and Congressmen Phil Crane of Illinois and Jack Kemp of New York.
FOLKS - voting has consequences.
The consequences of voting for Herman Cain would lead to further destruction of representation for the people and strengthening of representation for the corporations.
In light of what we are currently experiencing – Herman Cain is definitely not a choice – unless of course – you want ALEC running our country.
I found this quote in an online article entitled:
Why Most Business People Don’t Make Good Public Servants
...most business people in public office cannot make the transition from thinking about short term profits and maximizing the self interests of businesses to thinking about acting in the best interests of all people, now and for future generations. All of their decisions and actions are based on or around the concept of money and the pursuit of profit in the shortest time possible. Concepts such as common interests, social justice, and long term economic and environmental sustainability are just not in their vocabulary. As discussed in earlier parts of this article, their brains are not developed to think that way.
Government is about operating society, not running a business to make money.
I think it's time to take heed of the wisdom this author offers.